male duck chasing my 4 & 7 week old ducklings

[Nicki Casher]

I moved my three 7 week old rouen ducklings and two 3 week old pekin ducklings outside to their new enclosure. We hatched the rouen's in an incubator from eggs that we get from the male and female rouens that we have. The male and female have always been kept in the coop and run with my 25 chickens. We recently built a separate enclosure for the ducks now that we have the ducklings. Once we finally finished it and moved the ducklings outside we introduced the male and female rouens (which are truly the rouen's mom & dad) into the new duck enclosure, but he keeps chasing all 5 ducklings. When I am near the enclosure or in it he doesn't do it, he just stands back but once I walk away he is back to chasing them. The female is always yelling at him, LOL. He never chased the chickens. I don't know if I should remove him and put him back in with the chickens because he may hurt the babies or is it just normal until he gets used to them? I just don't want him to unalive my babies. Any advice on if this is normal would be appreciated.

 

[nuthatched]

The word is kill,we can use it it here. and yes, he could. Seperate the drakes.
How long did they see each other before you introduced them?

 

[KathiQuacks]

Really, your drake shouldn’t be anywhere near the ducklings OR your chickens, due to the risk of him mating them. A drake mating a duckling / chicken even once could seriously hurt / kill them.

Personally, I’d make a 3rd, temporary enclosure for your ducklings until they are old enough to lay (4 - 5 months).

 

[Nicki Casher]

The word is kill,we can use it it here. and yes, he could. Seperate the drakes.
How long did they see each other before you introduced them?

Thank you. I will remove him from the ducklings and put him and his mate back where they were. They have seen them many times. When I would take the ducklings out in the yard to play I would always take them near where the older male and female (mom and dad) were and they would always stand at the fence and watch and quack at them. I believe all three 7 week old rouen ducklings are female. The sound they make is just like my female rouen and I have not seen any drake feathers on any of them yet.

 

[Nicki Casher]

Really, your drake shouldn’t be anywhere near the ducklings OR your chickens, due to the risk of him mating them. A drake mating a duckling / chicken even once could seriously hurt / kill them.

Personally, I’d make a 3rd, temporary enclosure for your ducklings until they are old enough to lay (4 - 5 months).

I am going to remove my drake and his mate from the enclosure with the ducklings and put him back in with the chickens where he has been for quite a while. He has been in the run with the chickens for 8 months and he was raised with and in with chickens at the farm we got him and his mate from. He does not bother the chickens at all. Him and his mate are always together and follow each other around.

 

[BelovedBirds]

I am going to remove my drake and his mate from the enclosure with the ducklings and put him back in with the chickens where he has been for quite a while. He has been in the run with the chickens for 8 months and he was raised with and in with chickens at the farm we got him and his mate from. He does not bother the chickens at all. Him and his mate are always together and follow each other around.

That's good
But you have to be warned that if he decides to change his behaviour, a very natural thing- which can happen due to a sudden wave of hormones- then he could kill the hens.

Chickens anatomy is drastically different to that of a duck, and any attempt to mate with them is extremely dangerous.

Drakes can be with chickens only if they have an abundance of space, and an abundance of female ducks. Anything less is always a risk.

 

[KathiQuacks]

I have not seen any drake feathers on any of them yet.

Drake feathers are the last sex indicator, appearing around 13 weeks old.

I am going to remove my drake and his mate from the enclosure with the ducklings and put him back in with the chickens where he has been for quite a while. He has been in the run with the chickens for 8 months and he was raised with and in with chickens at the farm we got him and his mate from. He does not bother the chickens at all. Him and his mate are always together and follow each other around.

If that’s a risk you’re willing to take.. You’ve been warned

 

[BelovedBirds]

I believe all three 7 week old rouen ducklings are female. The sound they make is just like my female rouen and I have not seen any drake feathers on any of them yet.

Drake feathers are the last sex indicator, appearing around 13 weeks old.

Yes, the first sign is usually the change in voice, once those peeps fade out. If they're about 7 weeks and sound like the female Rouen, I'd guess they're female.
If they're quacking/honking they're girls. If any are making a sort of raspy "squack" sound, they're likely boys.

 

[Itamar]

Hello! I am soon getting two call ducks that are unsexed, and I am a bit worried. I'm pretty sure two females would be okay, but I don't know what to do if I get a male and a female or two males. How can I prevent two males from fighting or a male overmating a female?

(They were introduced as ducklings and are probably from the same flock)

thank you!